“Today was special day,” he said. “I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals.”

No one uses the ice like O.V. End to end. Forecheck, backcheck. Through the air, sliding on his back. Hits like a truck. Dangles.

Now, to no one’s surprise, the Amazing Ovechkin has claimed first place in scoring. He hit 40 goals Thursday against Montreal and became the first player to break 40 before the end of January since 1996-97, when Jaromir Jagr did it for Pittsburgh, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s got 43 in 52 games. On pace for 67. Doesn’t seem to be slowed in the least by the unfathomable stack of cash that an owner who gets it, Ted Leonsis, will pay to keep the show going.

The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, after getting hit in the face by the stick of the Montreal Canadiens’ Alex Kovalev. (Joe Giza/Reuters)

Coach Bruce Boudreau is the happy custodian of this rare talent. “When you consider we only got 5 goals, if it’s a 9-4 win or something and a guy gets 4 and 1, you say OK,” he said after practice the next day. “But when your team wins 5-4 and he gets 4 goals and sets up the other goal, with the last goal being in overtime. and then taking the abuse that he took
and the coverage that he took — it’s quite an amazing feat.”

He added: “He’s definitely a unique person and a unique athlete. Every sports has these. Guys that rise to occasion, Tom
Brady being the latest, in football, but I’m very lucky as a coach to watch him play from the bench a lot.”

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